Walden Media
|location_city = Los Angeles, California |location = |locations = |owner = |founder = Micheal Flaherty Cary Granat |divisions = Walden Pond Press |key_people = Frank Smith (President & CEO) Naia Cucukov (SVP, Development & Production) |industry = Film |homepage= }} Walden Media, LLC or Walden Media is an American film investor, distributor, and publishing company. Its films are based on notable classic or award-winning children's literature, compelling biographies or historical events, as well as documentaries and some original screenplays. The corporate headquarters of Walden Media are located in Los Angeles, California. The company is owned by the Christian conservative Philip Anschutz, who has said he expects their movies "to be entertaining, but also to be life affirming and to carry a moral message."Berkowitz, Bill. "The movie, the media, and the conservative politics of Philip Anschutz". Media Transparency, 2 December 2005. Walden Media's publishing enterprise, Walden Pond Press, publishes the next generation of middle grade books—fast paced, funny, engaging, compulsively readable stories by well-established authors and new talent.HarperCollins Children's Imprints The two marked characteristics of the imprint are its high quality titles and its embrace of a multi-platform approach to storytelling. From 2004-2008, Walden Media published books in partnership with Penguin Books for Young Readers. Company history Walden Media was founded in 2000 by Micheal Flaherty and Cary Granat. Granat was president of Miramax's Dimension Films division,Jensen, Jeff. "The Family Business". Entertainment Weekly, 28 April 2006: 58–61. and Flaherty came from the world of education. The two were housemates at Tufts University before following different paths and then reuniting to form Walden Media as a movie, television, publishing and Internet enterprise whose goal is to teach and entertain kids. In late 2001, Anschutz Entertainment Group purchased a majority stake in the company leaving the founders minority shareholders. The company's notable releases include Holes in 2003, Because of Winn-Dixie in 2005, Charlotte's Web in 2006, Bridge to Terabithia, in 2007, three adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia in 2005, 2008 and 2010, Ramona and Beezus in 2010, and both A Dog's Purpose and Wonder in 2017.Between Hollywood and Godlywood: the Case of Walden Media by Nathalie Dupont, Peter Lang, 2015 All of these films are adaptations of popular children's books. Walden agreed to a marketing partnership with Fox in 2006 under the Fox Walden name. Several movies flopped under the partnership, so in October 2008, Fox Walden shrunk its staffing. In March 2008, Michael Bostick, formerly from Imagine Films, was hired on as creative officer then added co-CEO title. Co-CEO Cary Granat was released from the job effective December 1, 2008. He was replaced by Bostick. Also in 2008, Walden Media entered into a join publishing venture called Walden Pond Press with HarperCollins. Education program Walden Media is unique among film production and distribution companies in that it works with teachers, museums, and national organizations to develop supplemental educational programs and materials associated with its films and the original events and/or novels that inspire the films. Walden Media offers in-class teaching tools like educational guides and teacher kitsDeahl, Rachel. "Walden Media Works to Make Moviegoers Readers". Publishers Weekly, 16 January 2006. and sponsors seminars and forums for teachers to discuss their craft and to trade ideas on using media in the classroom. Directors, writers, and stars of the productions participate in these events. In 2006, Walden Media sponsored the "Break the World Reading Record with Charlotte's Web". At noon on Wednesday, December 13, 547,826 readers in 2,451 locations, 50 states and 28 countries read an excerpt from Charlotte's Web, breaking the world record of 155,528 students from 737 schools in the United Kingdom who read William Wordsworth's poem, "Daffodils" in 2004.Toomey, Shamus. "I've Never Broken a World Record". Chicago Sun-Times, 14 December 2006. Etymology and logo The company is named after Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Its logo is a rock skipping across a pond. Filmography Upcoming } | July 31, 2020 | Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Reel FX Creative Studios and WWE Studios |- |''Clifford the Big Red Dog'' | November 13, 2020 | Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Entertainment One , Scholastic Entertainment, The Kerner Entertainment Company and Silvertongue Films "7 Days of Deals", The Hollywood Reporter, 27 September 2017, page 30. |- |''How the Girl Guides Won the War'' |rowspan="4"| TBA | Lionsgate |- |''Billion Dollar Spy | Weed Road Pictures |- |''Atlantis 7 |21 Laps Entertainment and The Gotham Group |- |''Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper'' |The Gotham Group |} Published books IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PENGUIN BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS *''The White Giraffe'' by Lauren St John *''Paddywhack Lane'' by Bob Fuller *''Jim Thorpe: Original All American'' by Joseph Bruchac *''Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper'' by Michael Reisman *''Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect'' by Michael Reisman *''Savvy'' by Ingrid Law *''Scumble'' by Ingrid Law *''Dolphin Song'' by Lauren St. John *''Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Two-Minute Drill'' by Mike Lupica *''Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Safe at Home'' by Mike Lupica *''Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Hot Hand'' by Mike Lupica *''Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Shoot Out'' by Mike Lupica *''Dolphin Song'' Lauren St. John *''The Last Leopard'' by Lauren St. John *''The Elephant's Tale'' by Lauren St. John *''Raspberries'' by Jay O'Callahan *''Cosmic'' by Frank Cottrell Boyce *''Max Cassidy: Escape from Shadow Island'' by Paul Adam References External links * Official website * FoxWalden website * Category:Film production companies of the United States Category:Film distributors of the United States Category:Walden Media films Category:Entertainment companies based in California Category:Companies based in Los Angeles Category:Entertainment companies established in 2001 Category:2001 establishments in California Category:Anschutz Corporation